Kuroshitsuji Wiki:Manual of Style
Manual of Style is a style guide for all of 's articles. It delineates this site's editing standards, and is used to assist editors in producing and maintaining articles and making edits with clear, consistent, and precise language, layout, and formatting. Remember that when you edit on this site, you are agreeing to abide by our policies and Manual of Style. Any violations will result in a warning or a block. Please contact an administrator if you have any questions. Pictures and Videos For specific, detailed guidelines regarding the upload and use of images and videos for this wiki, please view the Image Policy. Note that this site does not accept images in .jpg format; such images will be promptly deleted, without question. Always upload images of high quality, i.e. in .png format. Existing .jpg images on this wiki will eventually be replaced with their .png alternatives. Fanfiction & Fan-Art Fanfiction and fan-art are strictly prohibited in articles. If a fanfic story or a fan-art image is added to an article, it will be promptly removed, and the perpetrator will receive a warning. Content Ordinarily, anyone can add content (i.e. description, information, images, etc.) to an article, as long as the content added does not violate any of our policies; it is to be free of abuse, vandalism, gibberish, foul language, baseless assumptions, and/or offensive themes. If you are specifically adding images or videos, it is to be free of pornography, obscenity, or any other atrocious and suggestive themes. Understand that Yana Toboso has the final say regarding Kuroshitsuji; anything she states or dictates about the series is deemed completely accurate and absolute; there is no room for debate. Official Language The content of this wiki is expressed in American English; therefore, all edits are expected to be carried out in English (except when you are including romaji where appropriate and of the like). English must be used in every article, , and talk page. If you are not fluent in English and cannot efficiently converse with others in the community, editing here will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Present Tense Except for the History section, which, evidently, must be written in past tense, and when detailing examples from the source material in a character's personality section (e.g. "On one occasion, Blavat Sky was able to correctly determine . . ."), which should also be in past tense, all sections in an article should be written in present tense. In-universe Writing In exception to articles that are fundamentally out-of-universe, such as the Kuroshitsuji page itself, all articles must be written using in-universe writing—this means we take the perspective from within the fictional world. We do not ever detail the events of the series from the real world's perspective, for that would break the fourth wall and, as a result, disrupt the flow of reading for the reader. Examples of out-of-universe expressions that should be avoided: * "In the manga . . ." * "In the anime . . ." * "In this chapter . . ." * "In this episode . . ." * "In Chapter 81 . . ." * "In Episode 10 . . ." * "In this scene, we see . . ." * "He/She is seen . . ." Any variations of that sort are prohibited, as well. Trivia The trivia section is for noteworthy and relevant facts about the character, organization, etc. in their respective article. These facts may have been unnoticed before and do not belong in any other section. Unless the article is essentially an out-of-universe article itself (e.g. Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus), the trivia section is the only section in which out-of-universe writing is allowed; for example, you may point out a discrepancy between the manga portrayal and the anime portrayal—in this case, naturally, you would need to use out-of-universe expressions such as "in the manga" and "in the anime" in order to convey your message. Particularly for a character's article, avoid comparing a character with another character—especially if the latter character is part of an entirely different and unrelated series—since it is considered subjective writing on this site, which we do not support. Basically, the trivia section is a space reserved for out-of-universe observations pertinent to the article you are editing. Grammar Every article on this site must be coherent, comprehensible, and articulate. You are expected to be familiar with the fundamentals of English grammar. This site, as a whole, favors a formal writing style, so avoid using contractions when possible. Always use standard punctuation, and never write sentence fragments/incomplete sentences. Spelling Yen Press's and FUNimation's spellings of names and titles are considered official. Do not deviate from their established spellings. Never use nicknames, when referring to characters in articles. Capitalization Do not use all capital letters for emphasis; where wording alone cannot provide the emphasis you seek, use italics. These terms should always be capitalized: * Characters' names/formal titles * Grim Reaper * Death Scythe * Cinematic Record * Groups (e.g. Phantomhive)/Organizations (e.g. Aurora Society)/Places (e.g. Weston College) * Chapter and episode titles Page Integrity Articles are to be free of dishonest, unreferenced, and/or subjective writing. Be impartial; refrain from expressing biased and personal opinions while adding content, for that will severely undermine the integrity of the articles. Do not remove the or template from any articles, as doing so will cause the article's sections to run into one another. References It is important to prove that the content you are adding is accurate and credible. Any content published should include references, in order to demonstrate that it is factual, verifiable, and supported by a reliable source. Failure to provide references will result in the prompt removal of that added information. To learn how to add a reference, carefully peruse this article. Canon vs. Non-canon Material Only content created by Yana Toboso herself is regarded as canon; thus, the manga is the chief and principal source for all of our content. Guidebooks and statements made by Toboso, whether in her blog or in official interviews, are also our central sources. Derivative works, such as the anime, OVAs, musicals, live-action film, and video game, never take precedence as our source, unless Toboso adopts certain aspects introduced by such derivative works into her genuine conceptual material (i.e. the manga); for example, Toboso has incorporated Paula, originally an anime-only character, into the manga. Tip: Let us say, a point you are adding to an article can be supported by both a manga chapter and an anime episode; you can choose to add those two references side by side—or if you wish to add only one, add the manga reference and omit the anime. Speculation Never speculate or theorize on articles. Conjectural statements are permitted in only. If it was never shown in the canon material (particularly the manga) and/or if it cannot be properly referenced, it is not a fact. Remember that while there could be reason to believe where the information is going to lead, until it is confirmed, it is not supported. In other words, while we, using logic and basic reasoning, can predict how the plot is going to unfold or what someone in the story will do, it is never a guaranteed fact until revealed by Yana Toboso herself. Format There is, truly, only one format to be used on the site, which is the standard paragraph format. An exception to this are lists, which may be found in some articles; bullet points are used for those, but even then, the lists should not be excessively lengthy, or they would detract from the reading. Complex formats, since they are prone to disorder, are not supported here. Every article should have a References section, to list all references and sources, and a Navigation section, to facilitate the browsing experience for the reader, at the bottom. Helpful Reminder: All content added must be referenced; it must never include any speculation or personal commentaries. Characters Every character's article should include the following sections, if applicable: Appearance The appearance section is used to detail a character's appearance. It should contain a general idea of what he or she looks like, his or her basic body figure (i.e. slender, slim, plump, etc.), features such as hair and eye color, and typical attire. Personality The personality section is used to describe a character's individual quirks and qualities. It should give a general notion of who he or she is, his or her usual demeanor, and his or her overall characteristics, such as his or her likes and dislikes. It should not include how the character reacts to every other character he or she encounters. In addition, it is not necessary to point out whether a character is left-handed or right-handed. History The history section is used to detail the character's background and significant past experiences that took place before the present time of the story. Plot The plot section is used to give the full particulars of the character's actions and his or her involvement in the events that occurred in the manga (unless they are an anime-only character — in which case, we detail their actions according to what is portrayed in the anime). Quotes The quotes section is for notable and telling statements spoken by the character, which showcase or indicate the character's unique personality or personal feelings; it is not for generic words or phrases anyone could have said in the same situation. Use common sense to judge if the quotes are meaningful or if they are negligible. For the most part, you should opt out of adding quotes that contain only a few words; normally—though, there may be exceptions—such quotes are not remarkable enough to be included. Quotes should be in italics, except with words spoken with emphasis; if that may be the case, the emphasized words will not be italicized, and will, instead, be left in their original style. Clarifying terms, such as who the quote was said to, should be before the quote and placed in parentheses. Trivia (if applicable) Refer to the information regarding trivia located at the upper portion of this page. Groups/Organizations/Places Articles for groups, organizations, and places should always have an Overview section, to give a general review and summary of their characteristics and qualities. Groups and organizations, especially, should have a Known Members section, which should contain a list of all currently identified members. Places, in particular, should have a Geography section, to give an account of the places' appearance and surroundings. If applicable, these types of articles should have a Trivia section, as well. Talk Pages Talk pages are reserved for discussions on the maintenance and correctness of their respective articles only. General conversations, questions, and speculations are to be placed in . More information can be found on the wiki's Discussion Policy. Creating New Pages Any user may create a new page, but please keep in mind the following guidelines when aiming to do so: Characters Any and all characters in Kuroshitsuji, whether it is an anime, manga, or video game-only character, may have his or her own page as long as he or she is substantially involved in the storyline. He or she cannot be a mere background character. In other words, if a character is only seen standing or sitting but does not interact or have any lines, it is not necessary for him or her to have his or her own article. Remember that he she may have his or her own page, even if he or she has only been referred to but never directly featured or appeared, as long as he or she has an ample impact on the storyline (e.g. Vincent Phantomhive). Groups/Organizations/Places Any group, organization, and/or place may have its own page, as long as there is appreciable information on them. Chapter And Episode Pages Each chapter and episode must have its own page. These pages should include: * A chapter or episode infobox * A concise summary of the episode or chapter * A list of characters in the order they appeared * A proper navigation Moving Existing Pages When renaming page X to Z, in addition to tracking down all the links to X and changing them to Z, we need to find all incidences of X being used in the articles which are not links. Due to this, and often questionable romanizations of character names, article pages may not be moved without discussing it on the respective article's Talk Page first or with an administrator. Before a page move can be initiated, you must present reasons on why the page should be moved and obtain approval from an administrator. If you move an article page without discussing it first, your move will be undone and you will be warned not to do it again. If you continue to move the article without an administrator's approval or without discussing it beforehand, you will be blocked. Code of Conduct Users are expected to treat one another with courtesy and respect. In the event of an edit conflict with another user, arrange to have a discussion with said user in order to work out the differences; everyone is expected to be civil and polite, even if there are insolvable disagreements. Some essential dos and don'ts: * Do not be hotheaded, rash, and unruly. * Do not make personal insults. * Do not take personal offence, when things do not go your way. * Do not ever flout our policies and/or disregard/erase an administrator's warning. * Do remain diplomatic and cordial at all times. * Do be tactful with your words, so that you do not hurt others. * Do be fair; know when you are wrong and humbly admit to your mistakes. * Do contact an administrator to settle the dispute, if you and the other person(s) are unable to do so. Remember that edit warring is unacceptable. All parties that participate in edit warring will face consequences. This site has zero tolerance for the usage and insertion of offensive, abusive, and/or inappropriate language; malicious conduct in the articles, , message walls, or anywhere else on the wiki; and the act of harassing other users. Moreover, removing referenced and proven content from the articles is deemed an act of vandalism. Violators will receive a warning or an immediate block, depending on the magnitude of the destruction. Category:Community Category:Policy